It’s safe to say that everything humanity needs to survive — either directly or indirectly — comes from the natural environment. Sustainability involves the pursuit of a harmonious, productive coexistence between humans and nature so that both the present and future generations can survive and thrive.
In recognition of April’s Earth Month at NC State, the Sustainability Council and the University Sustainability Office are conducting many educational and activity-oriented events. The Sustainability Office was established in April 2008 to provide sustainability information, initiate sustainability programs and practices, and embed sustainability into NC State’s culture and traditions.
Carla Davis, the communications coordinator at the University Sustainability Office, described the history of Earth Month here at NC State.
“For many years, NC State has been celebrating Earth Day with the Earth Fair on the Brickyard,” Davis said. “Over time, the celebration began to expand beyond that single event to Earth Week and then, a few years ago, to Earth Month. There’s so much happening on campus that is sustainability-related. A month-long emphasis allows us to feature as much sustainability programming as possible.”
Earth Month will feature more than 30 events, according to Davis. Some of the biggest events are the Brickyard Earth Fair on April 11, the Farm Feast at Fountain Dining Hall on April 12, the Lake Raleigh Earth Day Cleanup and Service Day on April 22 and the Celebration of NC State Sustainability on April 26.
Earth Month events are centered around a diverse range of topics, including sustainability in architecture, the intersection of climate change with feminism and activism, the relationship between environmentalism and faith and more.
“Each event offers something different,” Davis said. “At one event you might learn how companies are implementing sustainability to improve business, while another event highlights challenges to maintaining a healthy water supply. There are also hands-on events where volunteers can engage in service projects that boost the sustainability of campus.”
Lake Raleigh Earth Day Cleanup and Service Day is one of the more hands-on events featured in this year’s sustainability-based lineup. The cleanup will involve clearing trash off Lake Raleigh via canoe, picking up litter along the trail and partaking in trail maintenance to help prevent erosion and make the trail system clearer.
Nathan Williams, the assistant director of University Recreation’s Outdoor Adventures, talked about the importance of preserving and using the existing Lake Raleigh trails.
“The big thing is that it’s really important for such a heavily used area that people aren’t making their own paths, that they’re staying on the existing trails as much as possible,” Williams said. “One of the reasons it’s a spaghetti mess of trails back there is because people get impatient trying to walk down to the lake from the parking lot at the Alumni Association [center] and end up making a new trail. It’s bad for not only the trail system, making it confusing, but [it’s] also bad for the wildlife back there that needs the trees and brush.”
The man-made trails are very close to the lake or on the sides of hills and in spots where they erode the soil easily, according to Williams. As a result of this soil loss, the shoreline becomes eroded and trees often collapse into the lake.
“It seems like an urban resource, but there is some wildlife back there,” Williams said. “There’s a bald eagle’s nest there and if people are wandering through making their own trails, they might accidentally disrupt the eagle during nesting season and they [the bald eagles] might not come back here again.”
While individual actions — like creating trails — may seem harmless at the time, they add up on a larger environmental scale. Positive individual actions, however, can also add up to create a major — beneficial — impact on the environment. Students practice more sustainable actions by conserving energy and water, recycling, composting and using sustainable alternatives to driving, according to Davis.
“Our communities, state, nation and world face increasingly complex challenges that impact our environment, our economy and our society,” Davis said. “Successful sustainability pursues solutions that are economically viable, environmentally sound and socially just so that current and future generations may thrive. As NC State integrates sustainability in its operations, academics and research, the university improves efficiency and stewardship while also developing leaders and innovations for a more sustainable future.”
For the full calendar of Earth Month events, visit: https://sustainability.ncsu.edu/get-involved/events/earth-day/.
